O'Maley Family Focus

October 11, 2022

Dear O'Maley Families,

October is a busy month at O'Maley. In addition to two early release days for parent conferences, we have our first Spirit Week of the year, Spirit Wear sales, the return of the Halloween dance, and various assemblies. Please see updated Upcoming Events below.

On important focus this year is to help students rebuild their connection with the school community. The years of COVID where we had to remain a distance apart had a large impact on our students and their feelings of connectedness and belonging. Our goal is to provide more opportunities for students to be involved, ensure that their voices are heard, and have them feel ownership of their learning community. While these are small efforts below, they are some examples from the year so far:

8th graders voted to determine whether their recess should be before or after lunch. You may not be surprised to know that they voted to eat first!
All students have an opportunity to design this year's yearbook cover (Submissions are due by November 1st).
A group of students representing all three grades met with the APs and me to determine guidelines for a positive and safe dance and activity night (See details and the permission form below).
6th graders participated in a team building "field "day" with members of their house teams.

We look forward to increasing frequency and importance of opportunities for students to take on responsibilities here at O'Maley.

As we do each year, we will conduct Bullying Prevention and Intervention lessons beginning the week of October 17th. We will begin with assemblies led by O'Maley Admin and our School Resource Officer, Peter Sutera, and follow the assembly with a series of lessons during advisory blocks. It is important that students review and deepen their understanding of the difference between hurtful or mutual unkind behavior and bullying, as well as the importance of being an Ally as opposed to a Bystander. Too often in our world today it is seen as acceptable to stand by, and even record video as opposed to stepping in to assist when another person is being treated in a hurtful way.

Toward the end of the month, we will hold our S.A.I.L.S. kickoff, reviewing each of our S.A.I.L.S. values, Service, Acceptance, Integrity, Leadership, and Success. Both within academics and in the community, these values play a large part of supporting one another.

If you have not been contacted by teachers requesting a conference and would like to schedule one, please reach out to one of the teachers on your child's house team, or the grade level guidance counselor. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,

Principal Lynne Beattie

Check out O'Maley's new website at https://omaley.gloucesterschools.com/

Please follow @omaleyprincipal on Twitter or Instagram.

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Upcoming Events

Wednesday, October 12, iDecide Student Survey

Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 pm: School Committee Public Hearing on new school name. Join via Zoom: https://gloucester-ma-gov.zoom.us/j/81682906419

O'Maley Spirit Wear available now through October 18th. Link here to view our selection and order: https://omaleyschoolptofall2022.itemorder.com/

October Early Release Days at 11:00 a.m.:

October 20, Parent Conferences 12:00-2:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m.
October 27, Parent Conferences 12:00-2:00 p.m.

October 24-28 Scholastic Book Fair 8:00 am-2:00 pm

October 24-28, O'Maley Spirit Week Themes:

Monday Oct. 24 - Favorite Movie Character Day
Tuesday Oct. 25 - Pajama Day
Wednesday Oct 26 - Decades/Throwback Day
Thursday Oct 27 - Adam Sandler Day
Friday Oct 28 Sports Day

October 27 6:00-7:00 p.m., O'Maley PTO Meeting

Friday, October 28, 6:00-8:00 p.m., O'Maley Halloween Dance & Activity Night (See information below).

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HALLOWEEN DANCE & ACTIVITY NIGHT - OCTOBER 28TH

As mentioned above, a group of students worked with O'Maley administration to develop guidelines for us to hold a positive and safe dance and activity night at O'Maley. Prior to COVID we had several dances at which behaviors caused us to consider curtailing our practice of holding dances at all. After reflecting on the amount of time that has passed and that our students had not been given a chance to show that they could assist in creating a welcome environment for a dance we invited input. Students came up with the following recommendations and guidelines:

We will host non-dancing activities in the gym in addition to a dance with DJ in the Commons.
Bags will not be allowed.
Devices will not be allowed. Phones are available throughout the building if needed, students who bring a device will have to check it at the door.
A photo booth will be available for photos with friends.
Concessions will be sold by PTO between the gym and the Commons. Snacks and trinkets will be sold. No food or drink is allowed to be brought into the building.
All school rules apply.
A permission form signed by a parent or guardian will be required for entry.

In order for this event to take place, we need 12-15 parent volunteers in addition to an equal number of staff who have committed to attending. Hosting both the dance and activities requires many adults in order to supervise all areas. Volunteers must:

Arrive at 5:45 p.m. for instructions and organization.
Be vigilant with supervision; report concerns to O'Maley faculty or administration immediately.
Pass a CORI prior to the event. (CORI checks can be completed at 2 Blackburn with a drivers license).

Chaperones may be placed in the gym, Commons, near bathrooms, at the door, and around concessions.

If you are interested in volunteering, please link here to complete this form. Contact me if you have any questions. Thank you in advance!

Please link here to access the permission form and option to pre-purchase tickets at $6 per student. The permission form is required for entry. Pre-purchasing tickets is optional.

O'Maley Halloween Dance Permission Form

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Student Drop Off & Pick Up

The best way for students to get to school is by bus. If it is absolutely necessary to drive your child, please be mindful that traffic can be challenging, and many students are walking to school.

All student drop off and pick up occurs in the rink parking lot. Pull in and turn right, and drop your student off on the sidewalk. Please do not drop off or pick up in the circle as it holds up traffic. The driveway in front of the school building is for buses only.

Communication and Contact Information

Communication is essential for our ongoing partnership. Please be sure to keep your email address and phone numbers up to date in the student information system by informing the office if there are changes. Almost all communication from O’Maley will be electronic. Our newsletter, the O’Maley Family Focus is sent at least monthly via a link to Smore, and can be translated into your preferred language on the Smore site. If you do not have an email address, please let us know so that we can send you hard copies or a link to documents via SMS text messages.

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Cell Phone Policy at O'Maley

Over recent years increased cell phone use has become problematic at schools. As our policy states: Cell phone use creates a distraction to the learning process and is detrimental to positive social interaction in the community. While we relaxed some aspects of our policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be returning to full enforcement of our policy which prohibits cell phone use during the hours of 7:35 a.m. - 1:55 p.m. Students may not have cell phones on their person (or if carrying them, in bags) during those times. Options are provided for storing them during the school day, and those students/families who do not wish to take advantage of the options should leave phones at home. You may read the full policy online in our handbook or at this link: Cell Phone Policy

Please note that the O’Maley faculty will be reviewing this policy during the 2022-2023 school year and any revisions will be communicated.

Online Learning Acceptable Use and Chromebook Policies

As with the handbook, the information about acceptable use of the GPS network and Chromebook is important to know and understand. Chromebooks are a necessary tool for learning these days, and must be treated with care. Students should always carry their Chromebook with the case on, and treat it carefully. Signature forms will be sent home with students on the first day of school and should be returned the following day.

GPS Online Learning Services and Chromebook Use - English

GPS Online Learning Services and Chromebook Use - Portugues

GPS Online Learning Services and Chromebook Use - Spanish